University of Johannesburg Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Political Thought for All African Countries

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Political Thought

Course(s) Offered: Humanities
Course Level: Postdoc Research Fellowship
Provider: National Research Foundation
Country to Study in: South Africa

Scholarship Description
A National Research Foundation (NRF) Postdoctoral Research Fellowship is on offer for one year (renewable for another) in the Department of Politics, University of Johannesburg (UJ), South Africa.

It will be under the mentorship of Professor Lawrence Hamilton, who holds an NRF President’s Award, and will be located within the Department and within the Centre of Political Thought at UJ.

Eligibility
Candidates are only eligible if they have been awarded a doctoral degree within the last five years; and, if they have yet to receive the degree, they must have it in hand by the time they take up the position, or preferably by the end of 2009.

Eligible groups
Citizens of any African country can apply, however preference will be given to South Africans

Participating Institutions
Centre of Political Thought, Department of Politics, University of Johannesburg (UJ), South Africa

The Centre of Political Thought at UJ is a unique environment in South Africa for research in political thought and theory.

Fields of study
Existing members of the Centre research on a variety of topics within the history of political thought and political philosophy, including:

• human needs and rights; 
• political judgement; 
• freedom, constitutionalism, poverty and public debt in South Africa; 
• German Idealist political thought; 
• language and politics; 
• 10th century Islamic political thought; 
• the intellectual history of freedom in America; 
• African political thought; and 
• the thought of Rousseau, Sieyès and Marx.

Applicants should not feel, however, that they have to restrict their research proposals to these or cognate areas.

The proposed postdoctoral research can be on any topic within the fields of history of political thought, political philosophy or political theory – including research that makes use of empirical analysis and case studies to further the understanding or applicability of a question within political theory.

The final choice of candidate will not be influenced by their choice of research topic.

Number of awards
Two (2) will be given

Sponsorship duration
One year (but renewable for another year)

Scholarship benefits
The fellowship is set at the UJ’s rate for postdoctoral fellowships, currently R160 000 per annum, sufficient to cover living expenses.

Method of Application
Interested candidates should email their curriculum vitae, the names of three referees, an example of their written (preferably published) work of about 10 000 words, and a one-page summary of their proposed postdoctoral research to Professor Hamilton (lhamilton@uj.ac.za or lah1001@cam.ac.uk) by the deadline date stated below.

They can also post their applications to:

Professor Lawrence Hamilton,
Department of Politics,
University of Johannesburg,
P.O. Box 524,
Auckland Park,
2006,
South Africa,

making sure they arrive by the deadline.

DEADLINES:
The deadline date for applications is 30 November 2009.

PLEASE NOTE:
The successful candidate will be informed by the 15 December 2009. This fellowship can be taken up from 1 February or 1 July 2010.

Contact
Required contact addresses are as above. You may also want to visit the official home page of the Department of Politics, University of Johannesburg

Application Deadline: 30 November 2009
Open to International students: No (ONLY Africans)

More Scholarship Information and Application

Related: Scholarships in South Africa for International Students